The violinist Vanessa-Mae has swapped her bow for a set of ski poles and is set compete in the Winter Olympics for Thailand next month.

Mae, who has sold in excess of 10 million albums, has been training since 2010 and has qualified to ski at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics after her performance in Slovenia over the weekend, skiing's world governing body has confirmed.

The FIS published its latest rankings list on Monday afternoon which shows that Mae has met all the qualifying criteria to compete in Russia next month.

Despite her musical accomplishments, achievement on the piste has long been an aim for Mae. "It has been my dream and I am hoping people will accept I just want to give it my best," Vanessa-Mae told the Daily Telegraph in 2010. "I am taking a plunge. I am British, but realistically there is no way I could represent my own country. But because my natural father is Thai, they have accepted me."